On the eve of France’s designated day for combating fuel poverty, Mirova Foundation, the endowment fund of Mirova, a pioneer in sustainable finance, together with Watt For Change, the endowment fund of the VALOREM group, a green energy operator, are pleased to announce the 8 winning associations from their joint call for projects. The selected organisations will see their capacity for action boosted by a cumulative total of €1.5 million over 3 years. The grantee non-profits all work with households experiencing fuel poverty, offering a range of services from comprehensive assistance to solutions for financing the unsubsidised portion of renovation work. Thanks to this support, more than 1,000 households will get a helping hand at national and local levels, in both continental France and overseas territories.
Lending its expertise to the process of selecting projects was a stakeholder Committee consisting of representatives from RAPPEL (Réseau des Acteurs contre la Pauvreté et la Précarité Énergétique dans le Logement), the ANAH (Agence Nationale de l’Habitat) and the Fondation Abbé Pierre.
Deployment a bespoke support package for winning associations
Providing effective support for associations and helping households to renovate their homes for energy efficiency requires a long-term commitment. That’s why the financial support provided under this call for projects will be multiannual, covering a three-year period (2023-2026). During this time, the associations selected will receive support of €150,000 to €210,000, with recurrent funding to finance both structural costs and projects.
Furthermore, the winning associations will benefit from technical support in the form of training dedicated to measuring impact. Regular, personal exchanges with the project leaders will be put in place to create a relationship of trust and encourage synergies between the various players. In addition, a skills-sponsorship programme for VALOREM and Mirova employees will also be launched to build long-term support.
In order to improve practices in the industry, the social impact of the call for projects as a whole will be evaluated continuously throughout the support period. By monitoring common indicators over time, the winners will be able to gain a better understanding of their impact on the beneficiaries and their partners, identify the difficulties encountered and optimise their leverage for action. It will also permit organisations to showcase their results to sponsors, partners and beneficiaries.
Discover the 8 winners
- ALEC 07, an association that helps households in precarious situations reduce their energy and water consumption and save money. Together with the Compagnons Bâtisseurs Rhône-Alpes, Soliha Ardèche and Urbanis, their project aims to support 24 low- and very low-income households in renovating their homes for energy efficiency, including assisted self-rehabilitation.
- Apremis, an association whose purpose is to combat social exclusion linked to poor housing, was chosen for its project to set up a system of comprehensive support for 24 very low-income households experiencing fuel poverty in the Somme department.
- Compagnons Bâtisseurs National, an association that provides support for households with inadequate or substandard housing, to help them overcome fuel poverty and remain in their homes. The organisation was chosen for a project that aims to promote and develop assisted self-rehabilitation by training professionals to provide overall support for 15 to 20 low-income and very low-income households, and to make their nation-wide renovation fund sustainable.
- CREAQ, anassociation working to promote the energy transition, access to renewable energy, energy saving and eco-construction in the Gironde region, was chosen for its project to support 40 low-income and very low-income households in fuel poverty and to launch exploratory work in view to establishing a network of solidarity-based craftsmen in the Gironde region.
- GERES is an association whose aim is to help preserve the environment, limit climate change and improve living conditions for people in France and abroad. The aim of the project is to set up a programme to help 12 very low-income homeowners in the Marseille area carry out comprehensive energy renovation of their homes, and to develop technical adaptation solutions for the Mediterranean climate. The project complements the SLIME scheme launched this year by the city of Marseille.
- Secours Catholique – Poitou Delegation, an association that fights fuel poverty and helps people renovate their homes, has been chosen for its project to set up a new association dedicated to fighting fuel poverty that will function as a network with other associations in the Deux-Sèvres and Vienne administrative departments. The aim of the project is to provide support to 30 low-income and very low-income homeowners.
- SOLIHA Mayotte, an association dedicated to ensuring that all households have access to decent, affordable, energy-efficient and appropriate housing on the island of Mayotte, has been chosen for its project to facilitate access to energy-efficient home renovation by providing additional support to 120 low-income and very low-income owner-occupants and reducing the unsubsidized costs of renovation work.
- Stop Exclusion Energétique, an association whose aim is to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged by renovating their homes, and to promote energy renovation on a mass scale, was chosen for its project to expand a fund dedicated to financing the unsubsidised renovation costs for 800 low-income and very low-income households in France.
Christophe BÉCHU French Minister of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion Fuel poverty affects one in five people in France and it is essential to mobilize all stakeholders in the sector, public and private, so that there is no left behind. The energy transition must also be a just and solidarity transition and I congratulate Mirova Foundation and Watt For Change for this call for projects of 1.5 million which is, to date, an unprecedented support provided through philanthropy by two actors of the energy transition.
Pierre GIRARD Chairman of Watt For Change – VALOREM Endowment Fund As part of VALOREM’s inclusive vision of the energy transition, the firm’s endowment fund, Watt For Change, has been since 2016 committed to combating fuel poverty in France and around the world through the implementation of sustainable and resilient solutions. By joining forces with Mirova Foundation, we hope to help people durably leave fuel poverty behind thanks to efficient renovation of their homes.
Philippe ZAOUATI Chairman of Mirova Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of Mirova We firmly believe that the energy transition cannot be achieved without social justice. Mirova is one of the main financiers of the energy transition and renewable energies, and we must not forget to address the social aspect of this essential transition. Via this unique cooperation between the Mirova Foundation and Watt for Change, we hope to contribute to the fight against fuel poverty and make energy renovation possible for the most vulnerable households.